Christians launch pre-election 'declaration of conscience' on values

A bid to place Christian values at the heart of the general election campaign
has been launched with a 'declaration of conscience' endorsed by senior
figures from the Church of England, the Catholic Church and other
denominations.

Signatories include Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury (pictured), Cardinal Keith O'Brien, leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland, and the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the former Bishop of RochesterPhoto: GETTY

Thirty-five prominent individuals have signed a statement of values calling on politicians to "protect the right of Christians" to hold their beliefs and "act according to Christian conscience", The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

Signatories include Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland, and the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the former Bishop of Rochester.

It comes after six prominent bishops wrote to this newspaper to complain that Christians in Britain are victims of discrimination and are "treated with disrespect".

The Westminster 2010 Declarationsets out a broad range of policies that unite British churches, including support for traditional marriage and opposition to assisted suicide and euthanasia.

It also calls on Britons to vote with their conscience, and has a website database that aims to reveal the ethical position of more than 2,600 election candidates on issues such as abortion and stem-cell research.

The document, due to be launched on Sunday, was inspired by the Manhattan Declaration, an affirmation drawn up by conservative Christians in the United States last November and since signed by 400,000 supporters.

It could prove as controversial as its American counterpart, which allows for "civil disobedience" for Christians whose faith clashes with the law.

The British version says Christians should be "subject to all governing authorities and obey them except when they require us to act unjustly".

It adds: "We will not be intimidated by any cultural or political power into silence or acquiescence and we will reject measures that seek to overrule our Christian consciences or to restrict our freedoms to express Christian beliefs, or to worship and obey God."

Dr Peter Saunders, chief executive of the Christian Medical Fellowship and another signatory to the declaration, said: "There has been a feeling of growing hostility to the Christian faith and that Christians are being marginalised from the public square.

"It is important to know what candidates actually stand for, particularly when Christian beliefs can appear on both the left and right of the political spectrum."

He said Britain's four million churchgoing Christians – on average, 6,000 per parliamentary constituency – were "a minority".

But he added: "If the election is close, either between parties overall or individual candidates, Christians, like any other minority, could prove decisive to the outcome."

The document begins: "Protecting human life, protecting marriage, and protecting freedom of conscience are foundational for creating and maintaining strong families, caring communities and a just society.

"Our Christian faith compels us to speak and act in defence of all these."

It calls on Christians to "support, protect, and be advocates for children born and unborn, and all those who are sick, disabled, addicted, elderly, poor, exploited, trafficked or exploited by unjust trade, aid or debt policies".

The Declaration also pledges to support marriage – "the lifelong covenantal union of one man and one woman as husband and wife" – as "the only context for sexual intercourse" and "the most important unit for sustaining the health, education, and welfare of all".

Meanwhile, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, has told a BBC documentary that Labour's laws on equality are part of a secular "doctrine" that "can be as forceful and it can be as narrow minded as the worst of a doctrinaire Christian position".

The hour-long programme, presented by Nicky Campbell and broadcast tonight at 10.50pm on BBC One, blames local authorities for rebranding Christmas celebrations as winter festivals in a misguided belief that they are standing up for minority faiths, and highlights the French and Russian revolutions as examples of what can happen when religion is pushed out of public life.

Westminster 2010: Declaration of Christian Conscience in full:

Protecting human life, protecting marriage, and protecting freedom of conscience are foundational for creating and maintaining strong families, caring communities and a just society. Our Christian faith compels us to speak and act in defence of all these.

Our beliefs and values

As Christians we reaffirm historic belief in God the Father (who created us and gave us the blueprint for our lives together); in God the Son Jesus Christ our Saviour (accepting his incarnation, teaching, claims, miracles, death, resurrection and return in judgment); and in God the Holy Spirit (who lives within us, guides us and gives us strength). We commit ourselves to worship, honour and obey God.

As UK citizens we affirm our Christian commitment both to exercise social responsibility in working for the common good and also to be subject to all governing authorities and obey them except when they require us to act unjustly.

Human life

We believe that being made in the image of God, all human life has intrinsic and equal dignity and worth and that it is the duty of the state to protect the vulnerable. We will support, protect, and be advocates for such people – including children born and unborn, and all those who are sick, disabled, addicted, elderly, in single parent families, poor, exploited, trafficked, appropriately seeking asylum, threatened by environmental change, or exploited by unjust trade, aid or debt policies.

We pledge to work to protect the life of every human being from conception to its natural end and we refuse to comply with any directive that compels us to participate in or facilitate abortion, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide, euthanasia, or any other act that involves intentionally taking innocent human life. We will support those who take the same stand.

Marriage

We pledge to support marriage – the lifelong covenantal union of one man and one woman as husband and wife. We believe it is divinely ordained, the only context for sexual intercourse, and the most important unit for sustaining the health, education, and welfare of all. We call on government to honour, promote and protect marriage and we refuse to submit to any edict forcing us to equate any other form of sexual partnership with marriage. We commit ourselves to continue affirming what we believe as Christians about sexual morality, marriage, and the family.

Conscience

We count it a special privilege to live in a democratic society where all citizens have the right to participate in the political process. We pledge to do what we can to ensure our laws are just and fair, particularly in protecting vulnerable people. We will seek to ensure that religious liberty and freedom of conscience are unequivocally protected against interference by the state and other threats, not only to individuals but also to institutions including families, charities, schools and religious communities. We

will not be intimidated by any cultural or political power into silence or acquiescence and we will reject measures that seek to overrule our Christian consciences or to restrict our freedoms to express Christian beliefs, or to worship and obey God.

Commitment

We call upon all those in UK positions of leadership, responsibility and influence to pledge to respect, uphold and protect the right of Christians to hold these beliefs and to act according to Christian conscience.

The first 35 signatories to the Westminster 2010 Declaration are:

Lord Carey – Former Archbishop of Canterbury

Cardinal Keith O'Brien – Catholic Church in Scotland

Michael Nazir-Ali – Former Bishop of Rochester

Steve Clifford – General Director, Evangelical Alliance

Lyndon Bowring – Executive Director, CARE

Julie Anderson – Founder, Prayer for the Nation

Paul Ashton – CEO, Prospects for People with Learning Disabilities

Steve Brady – Principal, Moorlands College

Anita Cleverly – UK/European Director of ASK Prayer Network

Gerald Coates – Founder of Pioneer, speaker, author, broadcaster

Chris Cole – Founder of Cross Rhythms

Baroness Cox – House of Lords

Philip Giddings – Chairman, Mission and Public Affairs Council, Church of England